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Everen Corelas
Everen Corelas was a loyal servant of King Danath of the House of Trollbane, and the former Palatine of the Kingdom of Arathor. Of Highlands birth but Southron education, he is a stern figure in favour of preserving old traditions and a stubborn advocate of a unified and independent Highlands. Birth and Upbringing The fifth child of a farming couple, Everen was born in late winter in the Northern Hills of the Highlands. The stony and poor soil offered little hope of true prosperity in future, and despite his father's intelligence and green thumb the family would go hungry from 570 - 574 as the result of a series of particularly hard winters. During these formative years, the infant Everen was watched over closely by his mother and older brother, and began to learn his letters at the age of four. Admer Corelas, born of an illiterate farmer, had learned to read from the local parish Priest; and accordingly, placed great value on literacy. Though Aref and Everen both took well to the study of letters, his older brother Wulfheim did not, and Aliandra took only a modicum of interest and learned largely to read the holy books. At the age of five, Everen began his formal education with the parish Priest, Father Vinchard. While his older brothers were groomed to assume ownership of the farm property, Admer wished for his youngest sons to go on to other things. Everen would be the family's numbers man, while Jander would be brought up with a sword in his hand. Unfortunately, this plan quickly dissolved, as Everen proved to be easily confused by numbers - a malady that diminished in severity, but never entirely disappeared, as he aged. It was during this time that Everen met several figures of importance in his life. Father Vinchard, the priest-surgeon, is his claimed inspiration for entering into the fields of medicine and theology. Dornheim Jorgenson, his maternal uncle, is the source of his understanding of older pagan traditions as distinct from 'true' Deist practice. And Leah Steinskera, a perpetually sickly and frail girlchild, who became his fast companion despite her ill health. As he grew, the young Everen helped on the family farm, roamed the hills (finding many hidden crevices and caves, the remains of ancient troll holds, and other fascinations) with Leah Steinskera during the spring and summers, and studied his letters, numbers, and farmer's lore in the winters. Together, these things made him grow tall, strong, and intelligent, and at the age of twelve he already stood as tall as his father when he received his seax in his initiation rite. Unfortunately, life soon derailed. Due to her ill-health, Leah Steinskera spent increasingly more time hidden away under the protection of her father, Pretonius Steinskera, though her body bloomed and she was described as a beauty by those in the region. Her fiery spirit demanded freedom from the confines of her father's dictates, and she expressed this many times to Everen, one of the few visitors allowed due to their long association. In spring of 584KY, Aref, Wulfheim, Everen, and Jander, assaulted the Steinskera farm. Armed with their seaxes, axes, and a single sword (wielded not, in the end, by Jander - but instead, by Wulfheim) they broke in the door, beat Pretonius to the ground, and abducted Leah, absconding with her into the hidden caves in the nearby valleys. Three weeks later, they returned, and Everen drove half his family's goats into the pasture of the Steinskera farm. The bride price paid, Pretonius Steinskera was obligated to accept and allow his daughter's marriage. However, despite the legality of the act - seen even at the time as a barbaric hold-over from an earlier time - Everen was treated as a pariah by the larger community. Only his brothers, father, and maternal uncle accepted his story without reservation: That Leah had wanted him to take her, to escape her overbearing father. As husband and wife, she would no longer be beholden to the paterfamilias. Father Vinchard, despite his distaste for what he perceived to be a bridal theft and rape, listened to Leah Steinskera herself and allowed Everen to continue attending services (though he was forced to sit at the back, to allow for quick escape should the flock turn violent) and lent a hand in building the two a hut. As the year progressed, Leah Corelas was seen in public more than she had been since the age of nine. Despite this, she sickened quickly even during the summer, and by that Winter was deathly ill. Father Vinchard, for all his faith and talents, was unable to do more than lessen her symptoms and allow her more time, and it was her sincere wish to see one more Spring; to see the earth awake from its slumber, hear the birds return from the South, and feel the warmth of the sun on her face one more time. She died two weeks before the Winter broke, in the early weeks of 585KY. Cleric of Northshire Now a widower, the fifteen year-old Everen found himself ostracised from his own community without a worthy cause. Decried as a rapist, and reeling from the death of his best friend, he took the example of Father Vinchard to heart. Vinchard, originally a Gilnean, had joined the priesthood to leave behind an unhappy past. Everen decided he would do the same. Taking his donkey and a pack of supplies, he travelled south to the Kingdom of Azeroth, arriving in late Autumn after a long journey across Khaz Modan in the company of Dwarf traders. By the first week of winter, he had reached Northshire Abbey and petitioned the Abbot for admission into the Order of the Clerics of Northshire, the most devout group of Deist priests remaining on Azeroth (the heretical teachings of the Light having already begun to take root in the Northern church). At the abbey, Everen studied under then-Abbot Alonsus Faol, learning the holy books and philosophies. Already literate and staunchly devout thanks to the skilled tutelage of Father Vinchard, he excelled in his studies. As it seemed to be for many of the Clerics of the time, Everen's future looked bright. With one of the finest theological educations available and a keen mind, things beyond parish priesthood were almost certainly in the cards. Everen graduated in 588, two years ahead of schedule, and took orders. He swore a life of obedience to God, of celibacy (a vow that ceased to be asked a year and a half later. The price paid for a quick graduation!), of righteousness and submission to the Church. The next four years were peaceful, filled with study, contemplation, and even a little teaching (of initiates to the Seminary, primarily teaching them their letters and the basics of the Spiritual Exercises.) The First War and the Northern Exodus This peace was shattered in 592KY, as the Orcish Horde came screaming out of the Black Morass, burning and pillaging as they went, and tried to storm the capital. Though easily rebuffed, the ensuing war saw the Clerics of Northshire taking up arms to defend their flocks from the Godless savages assailing them. The death toll was, by the end of the war, horrific. Everen was lucky enough to spend the initial months of the bloody conflict behind the lines, tending to wounded survivors. There, his education in medicine and his faith were sorely tested by the sheer number of terrible injuries flooding into the hospitals and temples, and when he was assigned to the front he considered it almost a blessing. This was, of course, a mistaken belief, and Everen joined the fighting as it reached its bloodiest in the Siege of Stormwind. Among the flames and the blood spilling in the streets, the young priest displayed a remarkable aptitude for channelling the fury of Deus into concrete form, and this aptitude saw him among those selected by Alonsus Faol to remain behind. Where the majority of the survivors fled on the ships, and with them the bulk of the surviving Clerics, a number of Knights and Clerics were instead to embark on a dangerous journey. They were to march from the coast of Stormwind to as far south as Stranglethorn Vale, searching for every last refugee they could find and helping them flee north. For a long year, this band fought their way across occupied territory (or, more accurately, skulked, hid, and often fled as they lacked the numbers to fight) and succeeded in saving some of those who would otherwise have been left behind. It was during this time that Everen encountered the forces of the sadistic orc, Zigris, and was left permanently marked by the experience. Captured and tortured, he survived only when the remaining forces tore past the guards of the small prison camp (in reality more of an abattoir and mass grave) and pulled him and the other captives from the Horde's hands. Shortly after, the last refugee caravan left for Lordaeron, Everen among it. Despite this period of service, he has since refused to receive a military pension or attend First War Veteran's Association meetings. The Second War and The Heresy of the Light (Work in Progress) Interbellum Activities (Work in Progress) Activities during The Third War (Work in Progress) Appearance While the Thane's clothing differs depending on weather and circumstance, there are certain features of his appearance that are near universal. His steel-grey hair is always worn long, though normally pinned up, and his beard is neatly trimmed but never shaved or cut away. He does not dress ostentatiously, usually preferring the plain black cassock of his faith. At his side, in almost every circumstance, is a foot-long Seax in a plain leather sheath. While rarely drawn, it is obviously well tended, and no doubt very side. He is also usually found with a plain oak cane, with a dented and dirtied brass cap. His enemies can attest to his skill with both weapons. An OOC Disclaimer I take a number of liberties with the lore, though I still consider myself to broadly be lore-abiding (in that I take liberties I feel are thematically fitting and make for more compelling stories, rather than outright breaking the setting.) Please understand that I do not expect everyone to agree with or to abide by those liberties, especially where they relate to the Light/Deist schism or my surprisingly controversial interpretation of Stromgarde. If you would like to know more about why I take a particular perspective, feel free to ask. Additionally, I use a modified King's Calendar which has functioned in real time since WoW's launch. It is, a present, three years ahead of the 'official' calendar. I use this because I hav been playing certain characters for much of this time, birthdays etcetera having been played out, and several children born who age in real time. Detailed Genealogy Detail to be added. Suffice to say, most of the names on that chart aren't that important, though certain notable ancestors are, as are brothers, sisters, and a number of cousins, uncles, etc. If anyone would like to be linked to any of these families, by all means, let me know. *Corelas Clan *Vestlandt Clan *Vestan Clan *Steinskera family *Flint Clan *Osterblut Clan *Dagan Clan *Yāmasc Gypsy Clan *House of Vestfeldt Category:Characters Category:Reformist Faith